It's harvest time in Lazio. That means only one thing in the province of Viterbo... Sagre delle Castagne! These festivals feature everything chestnut-y (Castanea sativa) and are thrown all over Northern Lazio.

One of the largest is in Soriano nel Cimino, about 11km east of Viterbo, north of Lago di Vico. As with most sagre, it features a medieval parade and open air restaurants. What sets it aside from others, apart from its size, are two unique events. The first is a Palio, where the four quarters of Soriano nel Cimino compete against each other in medieval sports such as jousting and archery. The second, a reenactment of an ancient battle with neighboring Vignanello, where the sorianesi successfully defeated and indeed killed the Count of Vignanello, who tried to take Soriano, coveting it for himself.

The festival starts on the 28th September and finishes on the 14th October. Check out their promo video below, it's amazing (especially considering it's about chestnuts!). Click through to their website for more information.

For a full list of sagre in the provincia di Viterbo, not just for chestnuts but also mushrooms (e.g. the Sagra del Fungo Ferlenga in Tarquinia) and sausages (e.g. the Sagra della Salsiccia in Morlupo on the 27-28th October) click on this link to the folclore website (in italian).

If you have a glut of chestnuts yourself (what would that be called, a cacophony, a catastrophe?), check out this blog post from Pane, amore e Creatività, which gives 100 cooking recipes using chestnuts, which should keep you going for a while ;)

Thanks for your comment. The post was actually updated for 2012, so the links and dates are still relevant. Here is a link to the programme in Soriano - http://www.sagradellecastagne.com/programma.asp Hope you enjoy the festival!

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About Me

In 2004 I met an Italian and my life changed forever. Since then, I've been exploring my little bit of Italy, the area just north of Rome in regione Lazio, one weekend away at a time.
This blog details my journey along with hints and tips on how to survive off the tourist trail in 'real' Italy.